A YA, historical (sort of)

 Under a Painted Sky
by Stacey Lee

Very peculiar and somehow, quite enjoyable, young adult fantasy. In the bookstores it might be classified as historical fiction, but she's taken so many liberties with historical fact that I find it hard to apply that label. Call it "historical fantasy".

The heroine is a Chinese girl transplanted to Missouri (I think) in the days of the westward migration. She gets swept up in it after accidentally killing a would-be rapist/procurer and making friends with a black slave planning to escape. And so they head west. And I don't want to give away any more of the plot by saying more.

The heroine is a world-class violinist despite never practicing; she speaks about four languages without having traveled enough to learnt hem; and she has extensive knowledge of history and philosophy without any way to have learned them. I couldn't quite figure her out. Her companion on the journey is much more believable and slightly more enjoyable.

But all that is just me being picky. It's a lot of fun and not too dark, despite the scary subjects upon which it touches--murder, slavery, prostitution, and so on.